just a lil change

now i'm blogging at meanderinganywhere.tumblr.com, so meander on over. . .

Gifting Poetry to the Heart of the Empire

I spent the weekend in DC at Split This Rock, festival of poetry and social change. So inspiring and challenging!

we arrived with open pages
to celebrate the sacrament
of revolution
reconciliation
together
we have glimpsed it in each other
whiffed its fragrance between our palms
kneaded it into our bread
ate without thinking

at imposing steps of injustice
beneath pillars that stopped
growing centuries ago
a woven message
welcomed the new becoming

we walked peace
breathed peace
wrote peace



I brought home the words of June Jordan:
I am a stranger
learning to worship the strangers
around me                                                                                   

whoever you are                                                                                

whoever I may become. 

Spring is for Growing

Nothing like the recent deluge of gorgeous weather to get me in the mood for gardening. The collard greens I planted back in October weathered our mild winter beautifully, and they've now started growing like crazy. Yesterday I harvested some dark green leafy goodness for a raw collard salad – well, calling it a "salad" is a bit of a stretch when I just tore up the leaves, tossed them with a little sea salt, pepper, and lime juice, and happily chewed away. Fresh greens are glorious, especially when I've been eating so many CSA potatoes, turnips, and mushrooms. And speaking of that, my winter pantry share from Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op is in its last week -- what better inspiration to plant seeds and get some local produce sprouting in my backyard?  I cut toilet paper rolls in half to make seed-starter pots that I can plant directly in the ground! Like peat pots, only free -- if you raid the bathroom trash can.

Jars

I've been meaning to do this for awhile now. Thank you Mariposa Food Co-op for the bulk item sale!

Middle East Nostalgia: Molasses-Tahini Granola

I make granola on a reguglar basis, but I've begun to grow tired of the basic recipes I use again and again. Last week I wandered around my kitchen in search of inspiration and spotted the jar of tahini I'd picked up months ago from the little Middle Eastern market down the street and the jar of molasses my mom brought me when she came to visit. It brought to mind living with my Egyptian host family in Cairo and our Friday breakfast treat of pita bread dipped in asal w tahina – a delicious sweet mixture of sesame-seed paste and molasses. I never would've thought of combining those two, but it was amazingly good. So why not try it out with granola?

I didn't measure anything here, not even guesstimates, so if you're new to granola making and want more of a guide, I'd recommend checking out some other online recipes. But don't be afraid to just throw things together in a bowl. It feels liberating to not have to wash all those measuring cups and spoons. Trust me.

For the dry mix:  (a lot) rolled oats, chopped almonds, pecans, and walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, (not a lot) anise seeds, ground flaxseed, soy flour (definitely optional, but adds some extra protein and helps with clumping -- a good thing with granola), cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, sprinkle of sea salt

For the wet mix: I boiled some water with evaporated cane juice crystals, added tahini, molasses, and a spoonful of maple syrup and canola oil, plus a few drops of vanilla extract

Add wet to dry, mix it up, spread it out on baking sheets and bake until dry and crunchy but not burnt, obviously. Mix in dried fruit, if you so desire (I used dried sour cherries, but pomegranate seeds or dates or figs would be even more authentic) and there you go. Best granola ever. Until the next batch.

Valentine's Day Vegan Comfort Dinner

What to do when you're spending Valentine's Day by yourself? Well, apart from resisting the consumerist, candy crazed cultural norm, you can wake up with some yoga and deep, self-loving breathing, whip up some chewy chocolate-cherry vegan brownies, bike around town, convince college students to sign a cage-free egg petition (via an animal advocacy internship), take your new running shoes on a long inaugural journey, and treat yourself to a yummy post-run dinner of mac & cheese and mushrooms. Yes, mushrooms. They're my favorite. Not to mention local from my CSA.

All in all, being alone sure could be a lot worse.